Yinka Shonibae

Artists are not always a cheery bunch. Yinka Shonibare’s card for the Guardian’s artist-Christmas card commission reads: “As we’re opening our Christmas presents and eating our Christmas dinner, spare a thought for the less fortunate people. As the popular song goes: Thank God it’s them instead of you. Do they know it’s Christmas time?” (Above, Elmgreen and Dragset’s Christmas contribution.) [The Guardian]

Washington, D.C. entrepreneur and lifelong art collector Dani Levinas is garnering support for his plan to transform a former schoolhouse into the city’s first “kunsthalle.” [Washington Post]

Jailed Pussy Riot members might be released as early as Thursday. [The Guardian]

I’ve been wanting to play Back to Bed, a Surrealist-inspired video game, for some time, but the release date has been pushed back until after Christmas. When I say “Surrealist,” I mean it: This puzzle-solving world is rife with Magritte-like apples and de Chirico-like corridors. [Polygon]

The New York Court of Appeals reversed a decision that would have made public the names of buyers at auction. As has been standard, buyers can remain anonymous. [The New York Times]

Soon, the world will see a 13th Gagosian: The Westminster City Council approved plans to create a “double height commercial art gallery.” The interior space will be huge, topping over 6, 500 square feet, with interiors outfitted by the team responsible for refurbishing the Tate Britain’s interiors. It surely seems like the Gagosian industry will be sticking around for some time; the dealer signed a 20-year-lease on the property. [Grosvenor]